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Is your mouth watering? Can you taste it? This is the maguro steak nigirizushi at Shira Nui. Put simply, it absolutely rocks.
Seared on the grill and left beautifully rare, the quick flash of the heat made the long thin tuna steak crack and fissure into barely held together flakes of reddish brown flesh. Sprinkled with a salts and spices, it sat sliced on an oblong mound of warm seasoned rice. A strip of thin nori hugged the two together, and a fresh garnish of sliced green onion added colour and bite. OMfG.
Shira Nui is a place that has long held the reputation for providing some of the best (if not THE best) sushi in Melbourne. EG had been a number of times, but I was a Shira Nui virgin. Since we met he had regaled me (incessantly) with tales of exquisite sushi and of entrusting oneself to the mastery of chef Hiro Nishikura’s omakase. And now it was my turn to find out what all the fuss was about.
The restaurant is located in the very suburban Glen Waverley, which I think is fast becoming a hotbed of a culinary interest. The exterior is rather non-descript, as is the interior. But I feel comfortable – the angalise coloured walls, the long blondwood sushi counter, Japanese glass ball fishing floats and ceramic fish hanging from the walls, a hunger-inducing cabinet full of chunks of raw fish, rustic Japanese ceramic ware, bottles of sake lined up in a row, and the friendly welcome of “irasshaimase” when we walk in.
Chef Hiro-san is the man responsible for Shira Nui. Now I cringe as I am about to write this, and heck, it’s probably been written a hundred times before. But there is a certain warrior quality about Hiro-san – whether it be in the samurai-like swish of his forearm long sushi knife, the single minded focus on the task at hand, the gruffness when he barks “soy” or “no soy” at you, or the way he eyes you up, checking to see whether you are worthy and appreciative of his sushi making skills. I pity the fool who dips the non-soy sushi into soy. They are liable to have their hand chopped clean off!
But despite the gruffness, there is a very likeable cheekiness to him as well. He is quick to laughter and quip, but only when it appears you have achieved that venerable stage of respect between appreciative sushi eater and masterful sushi chef. It is a balance and a relationship. That is what I really love about eating at a sushi counter (or a tempura counter for that matter) – the direct relationship with the person who creates your food. At the end of the day, it is not just about the food. It is about the food AND the experience.
On a side note, I often get asked by readers whether the chef minds when I take a photograph. Does this explain it?!?
Seriously (or not seriously for that matter), we were actually having a good ol’ chuckle with Hiro-san and his very able sidekick (pictured above, name unknown). It started with the ol’ V sign popularised as the sign to make when posing for photos. This then went on to paparazzi like protestations, which was when I snapped this photo. Apparently many people take photos in his restaurant – and Hiro-san seemed quite perplexed as to why people would want to do such a thing. I shrugged my shoulders and told him because his food was too beautiful not too. That got a smile.
Anyway, the tuna mentioned above wasn’t the first sushi we had during the omakase (it was the sixth). So to start from the beginning…
Our first pair of nigirizushi was shiromi. The slices of delicate white fish were so translucent you could see the daub of bright green wasabi beneath. It was seasoned simply with freshly squeezed lemon juice and salt, and draped wide around the rice. Obviously, this was a “no soy” sushi – the subtly of the fish would have been destroyed otherwise. And lesson number two, this sushi should always be eaten in one mouthful. Otherwise you will not get a perfectly seasoned “bite”, which is how Hiro-san designs his sushi.
This is what good sushi is all about; magnificently fresh produce, superb slicing technique which allows one to enjoy the texture of the fish, hand pressed rice and perfect seasoning. True respect for the ingredient and an absolute pleasure to devour.
To accompany our sushi we shared a magnificent bottle of sake that was both dry and sweet. Damn if I could remember the name, but it was served hot to counteract the very chilly weather outside.
The pan salmon with shichimi togarashi, a Japanese 7-spice blend that is both peppery and citrusy, hit me smack bang in the cortex. I could have melted off my chair it was THAT good. It had the taste of the flame on it, being somewhat caramelised in places, and was insanely balanced in spice and sweetness, yet overwhelmingly salmony. I can hardly describe what an absolute joy it was to eat.
Saba, or Mackerel with white seaweed was so wonderful to look at, I didn’t want to eat it. I kept snapping away with my camera, listening as EG moaned with delight beside me. The mackerel itself was firm and unctuously oily, sprinkled with ground sesame seeds, pepper and sliced spring onion. But instead of nori, a translucent sheet of sweet white seaweed wrapped around the fish and rice. The seaweed is a type of rare and expensive kombu which is sliced thinly and steeped in a sugar syrup/mirin reduction. Wow – what a perfect accompaniment to the oily mackerel.
Uh huh…I know this one will do it for you as well. Yakiniku or grilled wagyu beef was like a kiss from B
BQ heaven. I’m sure the beef, being very thinly sliced, only got the quickest of flashes on the grill. But the taste of smoke, the beefiness, the sweetness from a plum/onion type jam on top. Yeah baby.
Akagi or Ark Shell was a very interesting sushi. It didn’t have a strong flavour, tasting mainly of the sea in a very pure way. Visually, the bright red-orange flesh was very impressive. But what got me was the texture. It felt “snappy” in the mouth, like you were biting down on a really strong jelly. It was denser than calamari, but probably of a similar vein.
Ama Ebi or sweet red shrimp freaked me out just a little, as I had never seen these type of shrimp before. Their tails seemed completely alien to me. But damn, they tasted bloody good! It was sliced in half and splayed lengthways across the rice and layered with salty fish roe. I absolutely adore biting down on the little sacs of salty brine, feeling them explode in your mouth.
Hamachi zuke, which I will confess to not knowing whether it was king fish or yellowtail, was magnificent. Even though EG had been to Shira Nui a number of times, this was a new one for him. The fish had been criss-crossed ever so slightly on the face, and then given the blow torch treatment. The fish was cooked on the surface, but still raw underneath and on the tail. Another “no soy” moment to truly marvel in the texture and delicacy of this beautiful sublime piece of fish.
The kaki sushi was done gunkan or battleship style. The rice is wrapped cylindrically upright with a wide sheet of nori, making for a cup to hold fillings. In this case the oyster, which had been cooked under the grill, was placed, with juices into the cup. A squirt of Japanese mayonnaise and a bit of blowtorch action, and voila, an incredibly creamy, delicious, briny sushi that will just about knock you over with its richness. In fact, I think only one of these would be sufficient. Two is almost too much.
And it was at this point that Hiro-san raised an eyebrow and queried, “More?”. Oooh…okay, twist my arm… “Bring it on”.
Round two in our battleship sushi was hotate, or scallop. The scallops had been glazed with a sticky red miso-sesame paste, which tasted earthy yet salty at the same time. I have a particular soft spot for these bivalve molluscs, and Hiro-san didn’t disappoint.
“More?”
EG and I look at one another. We doth protest, although obviously not enough.
“I have a special one for you. Very light. Spicy.”
“Ohh.” We exchange a look and grin. “Ok. One more.”
Asparagus with spicy cod roe (mentaiko) was the perfect way to end our sushi journey. The asparagus was cooked to a perfect crispness, and topped with cod roe that had been pickled with garlic and cayenne. Oh yeah…there was a lil’ heat here, which was rather pleasant against the sweetness of the rice.
We couldn’t say no to dessert (we have an extra stomach for times like these). EG went the cappuccino mousse, which really was a well-executed pannacotta. It sat in a pool of pouring cream, and a dice of fruits. It tasted very mild in the coffee department – perhaps more a latte than a caffe.
I couldn’t go past the black sesame creme brulee. Served in a small espresso cup, the black sesame custard was only accessible by cracking through the burnt toffee topping. Oh yeah…this was fantastic. It too was served with a fruit salad and ice cream dice. It was a little on the small side, but seriously, I couldn’t have done any bigger after such a feast.
I really like Shira Nui – I love the passion of Hiro-san, the slightly daggy interior, the hospitable nature of the staff, the kick-arse sushi. And apparently, so does everyone else. There wasn’t a spare seat in the house that night.
I can’t wait to go back.
Mel, mind me asking how much you spend per person there ?
For what it is, I guess 50-60$ would be a fair price..
Mel/Danny
Your photos keep getting better. I’ve been to Shira Nui before, but your photos really show how good the experience is, far better than words can ever do.
You’re always one step ahead! Shira Nui is on my list of must-tries, too.
to anonymous:
for what you see in pics, it’s like a degustation menu where they can keep rolling out the dishes til you say stop.
when i went there we ordered pretty much what’s above and a bit more of the pan salmon cuz it was soooo good!
anyways it ended up costing us ~$120 p/h – double what you predicted :S
d.
Anon,
you gotta be kidding me?
120$ p/h?
Hm…
do you think that’s the best use of your 120$ ?
Or there is a better value option elsewhere ?
Very nice! The salmon even had ME drooling.
What a drooling post!! As always, I really enjoy reading ur blog. Keep up the good work Mellie!
oo..I missed the $120 bill above..wow.. expensive yea!
Wow! $120? I’ve been so many times and love it ever more than the last time =]~ It usually costs $160 for two people all up.
I feel like omakase at Shira Nui again!
shira-nui is no cbd eatery but it charges cbd prices. in my opinion $120 (not inc alcohol) isn’t a HUGE amount of money to spend on a nice dinner these days… to me, money doesn’t matter as long as you can appreciate what you get for it. granted if your meal sucks and the service is crap then yes, you probably got ripped off – this isn’t the case with shira.
chef hiro doesn’t mind interacting with the crowd around the sushi bar and by making that effort shows he cares about his craft and that’s one of the reasons why you pay as much as you do.
let me put it this way… i enjoyed my night at shira nui (had the omakase and a few peices of sushi) and i don’t even like seafood!
d.
D,
Hiro-san is that good yeah, =P. IMO, it’s just more on the pricey side. Then again whether or not this amount is reasonable, it’s your call…
Btw, try Jamon Sushi in South Yarra, I guess his place is a better-run for your money.
I was also going to ask how much it cost. It looks great but I didn’t think it would be cheap. Last time 2 other friends and I went there and we ate off the standard menu and even though we didn’t feel like we ate that much, it costs us over $50 each, not including wine, which we brought our own.
Some of the dishes we had was good and the Charred Salmon Sushi and desserts were great, but I didn’t think it was worth the money overall. I enjoyed Horoki more and that cost less.
Yep, you have convinced a group of my friends to go and try Shira Nui. Awesome shots!
Hi Mellie, I’m tagging you for a meme
Check out my blog for the details.
Hi Thanh. I agree with you that the standard menu does not offer value for menu. The cost quickly builds up. In terms of value, the omakase though expensive is definitely the way to go, because you are getting ingredients that not found in other restaurant’s sushi menu. The exception is at lunchtime, where Shira Nui has some of the best lunch specials in town, especially the sashimi set, which my parents (notorious thrifty eaters) always go for
In terms of a great value high-end Japanese dining experience, stay tuned for our Shoya yakiniku review!
EG, exactly which ingredient is uniquely Shira Nui?
Am I missing something here in Shira Nui ?
Thanks for all the comments guys! Apologies for the tardy replies (..and tardy posts), but work has been friggin ridiculous of late. Alas, hopefully I can resume normal blogging soon.
Anon #1 – we actually paid around $100 per person, which included dessert and a rather expensive bottle of sake. IMHO, it was worth every cent. The food + the experience + the comraderie.
Hi ken – thanks for your compliment. But really, Hiro-san did all the work with his wonderful food presentation.
Hey matthew – interesting, but I sometimes feel I’m chasing other bloggers too! BTW, loved your Laksa Me entry the other day. I will definitely need to go back for the desserts now.
Hi anon #2 – damn. $120 p/h? You must have been really hungry! But I agree, that salmon was an eyes-closed-pure-bliss moment.
Hi again anon #1 & #3 – yes, it is expensive. And yes, there is certainly good sushi elsewhere. But Hiro-san does things a little differently, using some unique techniques and ingredients.
G’day anna – uh huh, this would be a good way of breaking your salmon virginity
Hi ironeaters – glad you enjoyed the post. And ditto – you offer some droolworthy posts yourselves!
Hey anon #4 – and I’m very much looking forward to my next visit as well. I so must have the tempura though. I had order envy from someone down the counter. He had tempura’d shiso leaf! How fantastic!
Hi anon #5 aka d. – very well said, and I agree wholeheartedly.
Hi anon #1,#3 and now #6 – I’m yet to try jamon sushi, but have heard great things about it.
Hey thanh7580 (btw – congrats on the mention in Ed’s column in the Hun!) – whilst it is pricy, I haven’t had sushi like I’ve had at Shira Nui before. I too like Horoki, but find it hard to compare the experience of the two.
Hi vince – I hope you and your friends enjoy the experience! I’d recommend the omakase. Put yourself in Hiro-sans hands and just go for it.
Hey brooke – thanks for the tag. As mentioned above I may be a little tardy in the reply, but I’ll aim to give it a go!
Elegantgourmand, the omakase does look very very good. Is lunch cheap? Because our work place is very close to there but we are always afraid that it will be very expensive and so don’t go. Instead we go to Sakura, who are actually quite bad in my opinion and everyone gets the bento box anyway. I must mention Shira Nui to the work mates and we can go there at lunch time and try.
I waiting eagerly for your Shoya Yakiniku review. I love Japanese food, especially good Japanese food.
Mellie, Ed asked if he could write about my Alpino restaurant post. I didn’t know he had done it already. Do you have a link or know where I can get the article as I would love to read it. I’m going to email Ed too, he could probably provide me a link if he isn’t too busy.
to anon from July 10, I would qualify by saying that Shira Niu has ingredients unique to most other Japanese restaurants but perhaps not to other specialised sushi places, like Aka Tombo and Jamon (which I haven’t been). unique ingredients I would say would include the white seaweed, the saba and cod roe that Hiro gets from Japan, and once I had a battleship sushi (gunkan maki) that was topped with a raw quail egg – a real treat!
hey there Thanh! from memory, the lunch specials hover around the $12 mark though my parents told me that they recently jacked up the price! yeah do check it out – at lunch time you’ll also get to meet Hiro’s Aussie wife, Sue, who is very charming.
I really like the Glen shopping centre. My parents go there a lot and swear by the dumplings at some of the chinese restaurants there. a favourite is also Tung Wo (?), (near Optus) that has really tasty congee :p
HI EG,
I do concede those ingredients you mentioned are pretty unusual. Then again as you have predicted before other places like Jamon have equally if not more eccentric stuff like Kani (crab)Miso or vinegar-cured mackerel (shinme saba).
Btw, I do second TUng Wo. Their spaghetti and congee is awesome!
Also, worth trying is Rock Kung near the train station. You can take me on this. Their roast duck is undoubtably the best in town!
Well, that’s the beauty of Melbourne, isn’t it?
7-8$ food will taste good as is 100$ food.
Elegantgourmand, $12 is a great price indeed. I will definitely go there now. The bento box at Sakura is $14 now and is not that good.
As for the Glen eating strip, our work group is always there. The most popular dumpling place, Bob’s Kitchen is so crazy now you can never get a table. It’s so busy any time of day since its so cheap.
Anonymous, Tung Wo is definitely a favourite for good cheap food. And I also second that Rock Kung has the best roast duck. That’s what I always order when I go there. My mum goes there especially on Saturdays to pick up a freshly roasted duck that just came out of the oven.
Melbourne is a great city for different types of food.
Hi again thanh7580 – your blog was mentioned in Ed Lines on 3 July in the Herald Sun. I’ll scan and email you a copy if you like
And yes…the Shoya Yakiniku entry will come very soon. I just have to get off my arse to write it 
Just out of interest – are you allowed to eat as much as you want for the $100++ Omakase meal? (That’s what I read elsewhere but wasn’t 100% sure..)
Hey latest anon – nope, omakase is not “all you can eat”. It is more “chef’s choice”, which means you basically keep going till you are full and cry for mercy (but each round of sushi will cost you approx $9 pp for two pieces)
What an incredible review! I’m not all that keen on sushi, but your writing, together with the pictures, makes me want to eat raw fish.
I’ve linked to your review from 99 sauces.
Hi there andrew – wow, thanks for the compliment! I checked out 99 sauces. It is an interesting site, that will be great once it is populated with information. Is this your brainchild?
There are two of us who set up 99 sauces, with a couple of others who now contribute from time to time. Slowly growing, but anyone can put information up there. If there’s something missing or wrong, feel free to edit!
We started it because there was nowhere that brought together both the places to eat/drink, and the identities behind them. And it is good to be able to find multiple reviews from the one place.
Hey again andrew – I love your idea of describing the identities behind the great places we visit, especially as Melbounre has its fair share of colourful characters.
Hi Mellie, I’m a long time stalker of this great blog.
Just went to shira nui yesterday, cost 165 for two people. For what we got, I think thats fantastic value.
As for the ingredients? He was able to get us toro. Not the poor man’s toro either, but proper pink (almsot white) full of fat toro! One slice was so decadent my partner was almost full, until she saw the oysters. We were also able to get uni after asking Hiro-san. He literally brought out a few sea urchins from the back and opened them up right in front of us. Best uni I ever had.
One thing though, was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get the maguro steak, but we’ll be back again soon.
Son
Hi son – ooooh…I am SOOOO jealous! We asked Hiro-san if he had any toro hiding under the bench, and unfortunately he had run out
Sounds like you had an amazing experience. I too can’t wait to go back.
@wongepf yes i remember those pics from http://bit.ly/6UKLX . Must try that degust.
Shira Nui is my favourite restaurant bar none. Seeing your beautiful photos of the mouth watering Salmon Nigiri and oysters has made me soooo hungry. My husband and I always spend about $100. We always order the same being,salmon Nigiri,tuna nigiri,the magnificent oysters(very rich but we always order at least 6 each)sometimes the beef nigiri. We leave there more than satidfied and astonished that each time we go there the quality is always good. Unfortunately they have had to decrease the seating (thanks to Whitehorse council) so it’s hard to get a booking now.
Thanks for your review. We actually saw a guy taking photos when we were there about 6 months ago. I wonder if it was you.
Hey there Simone – n’ah, probably wasn’t me as I’m not a guy
I’m usually the one responsible for the photos.
But I so agree with you. Shira Nui is absolutely fantastic! My favourites are…well, after refreshing my memory with this post, I’d have to say all of them!